Monday, 7 August 2017

Post-Pride SOS: The Essentials - Brighton Pride Blog Takeover!

Wow - Brighton Pride was something else! Our legs ache, we've left glitter on everything we've touched for days now, we're a bit rosy, and we are left with such amazing memories of the things we saw and the people we met! But that post is for another day.

The Pride
merriment can lead to pretty bad hangovers and a few sunburnt shoulders here
and there, and yes I do speak from personal experience, unfortunately!

If you are
feeling a little worse for wear today, don’t despair as my years as a Brighton
Pride veteran mean I have learnt one or two tricks for reducing those unwanted
Pride after-effects.

Let’s face
it, there’s nothing worse than going back to work post-Pride feeling like those
excitable, positive vibes have been washed away off Brighton beach, along with
a few other discarded rainbow flags and random colourful remnants left over
from the parade!

Here’s my top
tips for making the Pride recovery that little bit more manageable;

First up,
because it’s hard to ignore a pounding headache, are hangover remedies. Sadly,
there is no scientific cure
yet, so I can’t give you an instant solution, but I can share my preferred treatment.
It’s pretty simple really, to bring my temperature down, reduce the shakes and
relieve the fuzzy head I take a painkiller with a cold sugary, full fat drink – chocolate
milkshake is my favourite, or orange Fanta, with loads of ice. Sports drinks
and coconut water are also packed with electrolytes, so another good option.

If your
hangover is so bad you cannot stomach a flavoured drink, you obviously didn’t
follow my Glow For
Pride tips! Joking
aside, it is still very important to rehydrate even if it seems highly unappealing
as you lose four times the amount of liquid when drinking alcohol. Try slowly sipping something relatively flavourless,
like soda water or herbal tea, as this will be easier on your palette and
digestive system. My top tip in this instance is not to gulp it down as this can result in worsening the queasiness.

If
you haven’t been covered in glitter during Pride day then you really haven’t lived.
Glitter is like war paint to the LGBT
community and their friends, elaborately applied to stand out in the crowd.
Shake it in your hair, stick it to your face and sparkle like a unicorn.

What
we don’t consider when applying this magical make-up is its removal come Monday
morning - and I don’t know of many workplaces where glitter counts as an
approved code of dress, unless you are a drag queen, in which case carry on
sparkling.

Face
wipes are a definite no-no! Paired with particles of glitter the effect is
likened to sandpaper and can be quite aggressive on your skin, so avoid at all
costs. Cosmopolitan has some genius hacks for removing glitter.

Yes,
fast food is the go-to option when hungover, but is it actually going to make
us feel normal again? The answer here is no. Greasy foods do not ‘soak up’
alcohol, but rather they prevent alcohol absorption, so are actually a better
option to eat before you start drinking.

The
day after Pride celebrations you should re-stock the body with nutrients and minerals – and you won’t
find the ones you need in a Big Mac.

Eggs are a good saviour as they contain taurine which helps liver functionality to
mop up toxins. You’ll also need to restore potassium so blend bananas with some
yoghurt for an easy-drink smoothie.

Lastly,
try to prolong the happy memories you made at Pride. Rainbow food is all the rage
right now and I like to have some fun rainbow-themed goodies in the house to
keep me smiling. I’ve already stocked
up on some colourful hand iced biscuits (check out the unicorns!) which I’ll be enjoying with a cup of
tea when I need a little post Pride pick me up. You won’t be short of rainbow
sticks of rock in Brighton, either!

I
also recommend going through your photographs from the day, picking your
favourite one and setting this as your main mobile phone background, social
media profile and laptop screensaver. This way, you will regularly be reminded
what fun was had at Brighton Pride 2017.---------------------------------------------------Thank you Nat for taking over the blog for Brighton Pride! We hope you loved Pride as much as we did this year. We'll follow your tips, but no greasy food? The excuse to eat badly is the only silver lining of a hangover, surely? :)Check out Nat's blog at www.helpimgettingmarried.com and follow her on Twitter!